Poizner Accuses Whitman Of Threat
Insurance Commis. Steve Poizner (R) has taken the unusual step of filing a complaint with the FBI alleging his primary opponent, ex-eBay CEO Meg Whitman (R), tried to force him out of the CA GOV race through intimidation.
Poizner's campaign penned a letter to the FBI, the US Atty's office, the Sec/State and the CA AG, claiming Whitman sr. strategist Mike Murphy sent an email to one Poizner's consultants pressuring him to drop out of the race. If Poizner doesn't drop out, Murphy insinuates, Whitman would spend $40M on a negative primary campaign.
"I hate the idea of us each spending $20 million beating on the other in primary [sic], only to have a damaged nominee. And we can spend $40M+ tearing up Steve if we must," Murphy wrote. "Bad for him, bad for us, and a crazy waste to tear up a guy with great future statewide potential."
Murphy suggests Poizner would be well suited to take on Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) when she's up in '12, a promise Poizner takes as a quid pro quo.
The email "appears to be a part of a deliberate Whitman campaign strategy to apply improper pressure and to make inappropriate promises to induce me (her only remaining major primary opponent) to withdraw from the gubernatorial race," Poizner wrote in his letter to authorities.
Poizner is currently fighting an uphill battle against Whitman, as reflected by recent polling. According to the latest PPIC survey, conducted 1/12-19, Whitman leads Poizner 41%-11% among likely GOP primary voters. That survey had a margin of error of +/- 4.8%.
Updated: Murphy hit back hard on behalf of his candidate.
"After reading the ridiculous charges made by Steve Poizner during today's strange press conference, all I can say is that I'm starting to worry about Commissioner's mental condition," Murphy said in a statement. "Hopefully the Commissioner was not serious about wasting taxpayer dollars by asking state and federal authorities to waste their time on such a silly matter of perfectly legal politics."
Murphy said the email was between himself and prominent GOP pollster Jan van Lohuizen.